


My Pub

by palucca



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bar/Pub, Bucky is healing, Characters and Tags are addad as the Story progresses, F/M, M/M, PTSD and therapy, Pub AU, Song fic, mentions of other relationships, post war bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:42:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29724363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palucca/pseuds/palucca
Summary: Bucky was at a point in his life where he felt happy and content. He lived his perfect Brookyn life: He was running his own little pub, had overcome his post war PTSD and healed from getting his heart broken by his ex, Steve. Life was nice. Until that very day the only person he never wanted to see again just waltzed into his life and pulled the rug out from under him.Life just took a 180° turn and Bucky doesn't know how to cope with that.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	My Pub

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I don't really post much on here, but I am currently trying to get back into writing and got really inspired by this German song I heard the other day.  
> The Song is called "Meine Kneipe" ("My pub") and you can read up the translation of the lyrics here:  
> https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Von-Wegen-Lisbeth/Meine-Kneipe/translation/english  
> And listen to the Song on YouTube here:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-B0z3AbLbs
> 
> I hope you enjoy this work. This has not been read by a beta reader and English is not my first language, so feel free to either ignore any mistakes or leave a comment so I can correct it ;)
> 
> Regular Font is the present and italicas are flashbacks.

Bucky slammed his hand onto the bed side table, feeling for his ringing phone. He looked up from his pillow checking the time before clicking the „Snooze“ button and sinking back into the pillow with a groan, trying to avoid the rays of light shimmering though his curtains. He grabbed his blanket and pulled it up to his chin, saving as much warmth as possible despite the heat of the Brooklyn afternoon sun. Then he realized. His apartment was quiet. Too quiet. He pulled the blanket down a little and looked around his bedroom. Not finding what he was looking for he sighed, threw the blanket off his body, and rolled out of is bed. He stretched out his arms and back before wandering into his kitchen only to find the culprit causing the silence in his bedroom. Alpine was patiently sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for her breakfast.

“Yeah baby, I’m working on it.” Bucky gave her some scratches behind her ear and reached for her food and water bowls, filling them both up and placing them back down on the ground.

Once done he reached for his own bowl, some oats and proceeded with his own breakfast. While munching on his food he read up on the recent news, quickly skipping over an article about yet another school shooting.

“Damn…” he sighed yet again before carefully dropping his dishes in the sink and heading for his bathroom.

The moment the hot shower water made contact with his skin he flinched and carefully rubbed at the scar on his left shoulder. Recently Bucky had been plagued by sudden stabbing pain in his scar. His mother told him to go see a doctor, his father told him that it is just the change of weather. Bucky was not superstitious, but he was also way too lazy to make an appointment at his doctor. When he came back from Afghanistan, he had to borrow money from his parents to pay for the prosthetic and he had just recently managed to finally pay his parents back. His then boyfriend had offered to pay for some of the expenses, but Bucky was against it. Steve had barely made end meet as a middle school art teacher and Bucky didn’t feel comfortable asking for money.

Steve. Bucky threw his head back, letting the water hit his closed eyes, metaphorically trying to wash away the memories from back then.

_“Wait what?”_

_“I am moving. To D.C.”_

_“As in… Washington D.C.?”_

_“Yes Buck. Washington D.C.”_

_“Um… and what your job? What about your mom? What about… us?” Bucky had stared at Steve with white eyes. He wasn’t serious about this, was he? This was some kind of ridiculous joke, right? Surely Steve would not throw away his job and their entire life together for whatever job offer he has gotten._

_“I don’t know Buck. I have talked to my mom about this. She said I should follow my dreams. I mean, you can come with me, obviously.” Steve had shrugged, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly._

_“I can’t.”_

_“What do you mean you can’t?”_

_“I just… I can’t, Stevie. I can’t. We need to stay here.”_

_“We don’t have to stay. I know leaving Brooklyn behind is going to be hard. We grew up her, but we could start a new life in D.C. My new job pays a lot better than the old one. We could finally settle, Buck. Get married, adopt, grow old.” Steve had reached out to grab Bucky’s hand, but Bucky had pulled back._

_“No. I don’t want to. I am happy here. I don’t care how small and shitty our apartment is. It’s home, Steve. We have a life here.”_

_“Oh come on Buck. You hardly leave the apartment nowadays. You don’t go to work, you don’t meet any friends, you hardly visit your own family if it weren’t for Becca dragging you to a new café every month. Afghanistan changed you, you aren’t happy here. D.C. could be a new start for both of us. We could get you a new therapist. We could get you a better therapist.” Steve’s voice had slowly gotten louder and the frown on his face had deepened._

_“So that’s what this is about?” tears had risen to Bucky’s eyes. “My opinion doesn’t matter because I am not living the life you want me to. This is not about taking a new chance, this is about you demonstrating that you are superior, that you matter more, because of some weird fucked up ideas society has put into your head!”_

_“No Buck, you are getting the wrong id-“_

_“Get out.”_

_“I am sorry what?” Steve had noticed how Bucky’s voice was almost cracking and the way he had started shaking._

_“Get out. I don’t want to see you anymore. I am not leaving. So you are. Now get the fuck out!” At this point, Bucky had started screaming at Steve, his face red with anger and sadness and all sorts of emotions._

_“For real? You can’t be serious about this.”_

_“I am so serious about this. Pack your shit and leave Rogers. You have 30 minutes.” He had stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him as hard as he could._

Back in the present Bucky rubbed at his eyes. He had returned an hour later to an empty apartment. Shortly after, he had moved out of the apartment and into a newer, smaller one. The area was not as good as their old apartment and in the beginning his mother had texted him every hour to check in on him and make sure his body wasn’t lying in some back alley, murdered and robbed by some wannabe gangster. Not like there was much to steal from him anyways. But his new apartment was cosy and affordable with his new job. He got a job as a bartender in a pub a few blocks away from his apartment shortly after his breakup with Steve. But the job paid well enough for him to cover for all his needs and pay his parents back. He had managed to get into an PTSD therapy programme and try to work through all his issues caused by the war and his breakup with Steve. And he had Alpine. He found the kitten roughly a year ago behind the pub he worked at and had taken her in. Just last month the pub owner had given him a promotion.

_“I am getting old James and I want my pub to be in good hands when I am not here anymore. You have a good heart boy. Never loose it.” Stan had patted him on his shoulder before handing him the warranty deed._

_“I can’t accept this. This is way too much. I can’t- How am I supposed to pay you back?”_

_“You don’t have to. I want you to have this James. I have filed all the other paperwork already. This pub is yours now._

Bucky had spent the entire day crying of happiness and Stan had send him home that night, keeping the pub closed.

All in all, Bucky had made a lot of progress in the past 4 years. He had moved on. He was happier then ever, even though running the pub was a lot harder than just mixing a few drinks, handing out beer and playing wannabe therapist for middle aged men in a midlife crisis. But it was all worth it.

He thoroughly washed his hair before deep conditioning it and then stepped out of the shower. With a towel he patted his hair dry and some of it up in a half bun, before pulling some skinny jeans and a red Henley on. Grabbing his toothbrush, he brushed his teeth and put some beard oil on his beard.

He checked his phone again. Just a couple minutes past 3. He still had enough time to head to the grocery store and pick up some food for the week before heading to the pub. Bucky grabbed his headphones, a reusable bag for his groceries and scratched Alpines cheek.

“Be a good girl while I am gone, ok?” He grinned at her before leaving his apartment.

* * *

“One Bud Light please.”

“Coming right up, Mikey.” Bucky smiled at the customer before heading for the refrigerator, grabbing the bottle, opening it on the counter and taking the cash from Mikey.

“So, what have you been up to Buck?” Mikey took a sip from the bottle before giving Bucky a naughty grin.

“Not much. Running a pub, living life I guess.”

“I mean romantically, Buck. What’s going on in that sex life of yours.” Bucky blushed at his regular before shrugging.

“I don’t really have the time to go on dates Mikey. You know that. I am running the pub from 5 pm to 4 am when most people go on dates and spend the day sleeping.”

“So you have turned into a koala? Cute.”

“Koalas don’t have to deal with drunk idiots like you though.” Bucky gave him a cheeky grin.

“Oh I am hurt Buck, really hurt.”

“Sure you are.” Bucky jabbed him in the shoulder before returning to absent-mindedly cleaning some used beer jugs. He didn’t even notice the group of people entering the pub and sitting down at one of the booths in a far corner of pub.

“For real though, boss. You should take some time off and meet a few people elsewhere. Go on dates, go to movies, go… anywhere that isn’t your apartment, or the pub. Live a little!” Maria, his employee gave him a soft shove, before heading off to the group that had just entered minutes ago.

“She is right Bucky. You need to get out there. You seem a little lonely.” Mikey gave him a sad, slightly crooked smile.

“I am not lonely. I have Alpine. And Maria. And you. I am fine. Trust me.”

Mikey sighed.

“We are not trying to invade you man. We are just tying to help. Like the way you helped me save my marriage.”

“I just told you to buy your wife some pretty flowers and apologize for being a dick. That can hardly be called saving a marriage. Your marriage was fine from the beginning. Otherwise, you would be spending your Friday night trying to impress your wife and kids with some quality family time.” Mikey laughed at the snarky comment.

“Maybe. Or maybe you are my personal little Cupid.”

Bucky scoffed before turning to Maria and helping her with her order.

About 5 minutes later he and Mikey were deep in conversation about the Yankees last game when Bucky heard a loud clanking noise. He looked around the pub to locate the sound, only to realize that someone from the friend group that had entered the pub had accidently pushed their beer jug off the table. Bucky sighed before signalling Mikey to wait and grabbed a couple of kitchen towels heading towards the table.

A man was already crouched down, desperately trying to pick out the glass shards and collect the liquid. Bucky kneeled and got started on wiping the floor.

“I am so sorry, I really didn’t mean to break it, my friend Thor jabbed me in the side a little to hard an I- Holy shit, Bucky?!”

At this, Bucky looked up and stared into a pair of sea blue eyes that were way too familiar for his liking.

“Steve.”

There was awkward silence for a minute. Then Steve was pushed aside by a red-haired woman who continued to pick up the shards. Steve and Bucky stared at each other.

“Bucky, um… hi?” Steve scratched his neck. He always did that when he was nervous. A habit he could never shake. Even after 4 years.

“Hi.”

“Wait you know the owner, mate?” A tall blonde with shoulder long hair and a slight North European accent slapped Steve’s back hard and grinned widely.

“Owner? Wait, Bucky, you own this pub?” Steve looked at the man and then turned back to Bucky.

“Uh yeah. For a couple weeks now.”

“Yo Cap, are you gonna introduce us to him or not? Maybe you can get him to give us some free drinks and- Ouch! Hey!” Another slightly shorter yet muscular man with shaggy light brown hair leaned down to rub his shin after the red-haired woman, who was still crouching down, wiping the floor, had kicked back into him.

“Um yeah. Bucky these are Clint, Thor, Tony, Bruce and Natasha. Guys this is Bucky, my… um-“

“Ex. I am his ex. Nice to meet you. Enjoy your stay.” Bucky gave a quick nod at Steve’s friends, only now noticing the two men hidden behind Clint and Thor Then he turned around and stormed off towards the staff room.

“Hey, Bucky wait!” Steve set off to follow him, but Maria grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

“Sorry man. Staff only. You are not allowed to go in there.” She gave him a slightly deprecating look before taking the glass shards from Natasha and thanking her for her help with a soft smile, heading back to the counter to fill a new jug.


End file.
